Feedback: Congressman Owens Wants VA To Hire Veterans

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North country Congressman Bill Owens is co-sponsoring the Veterans' Assistance to Lower Unemployment and Enhance VA Services Act.

The bill would give veterans a higher chance of being hired by the VA.

Owens says the bill would put veterans to work and give vets who need care a fellow veteran to talk to.

"We want to make sure that those caring for veterans are also veterans themselves. We think that that level of comradeship and understanding of the experience is shared by someone else who served," said Owens (D. - 21st District).

Owens says the bill would help lower the number of veterans out of work.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that approximately 9 percent of the 2.3 million American workers who served in active duty since September 2001 were unemployed in 2013.

By comparison, the 2013 national average unemployment rate was 7.4 percent.